The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 27, 2007
Filed:
Nov. 15, 2002
Paul F Gerrish, Phoenix, AZ (US);
Tyler J Mueller, Phoenix, AZ (US);
Andreas A. Fenner, Chandler, AZ (US);
Mark Blanchfield, Scottsdale, AZ (US);
Paul F Gerrish, Phoenix, AZ (US);
Tyler J Mueller, Phoenix, AZ (US);
Andreas A. Fenner, Chandler, AZ (US);
Mark Blanchfield, Scottsdale, AZ (US);
Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US);
Abstract
An overvoltage protection device is formed in a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of doped regions for forming semiconductor devices. The overvoltage protection device is adapted to draw current away from a device to be protected from excess voltage and has a switchable device having a terminal adapted to be coupled to a potential source of excess voltage and to the semiconductor substrate for drawing current away from the potential source of excess voltage when the switchable device is triggered, and for directing the current to the semiconductor substrate. A Zener diode is coupled to a second terminal of the switchable device to trigger the switchable device to a conducting state. The Zener diode is formed in the same doped region of the substrate as the trigger of the switchable device.